Stinson Continues to Impress

The Cowboys may not have a whole lot to smile about after giving up a 21-point lead to San Diego State on Saturday, but another impressive performance from Julius Stinson has left little doubt in the minds of award committee members that the senior cornerback is for real.

The Jim Thorpe Association named Julius Stinson as one of 12 semi-finalists for its 2007 Jim Thorpe Award today. The award is presented annually to the nation’s best college defensive back.

The announcement came just two days after Stinson grabbed his fourth interception of the season in a 24-27 loss to San Diego State.

He currently ranks No. 10 in the nation in passes defended with 13 (four picks, nine passes broken up).

On Nov. 19, the list will be trimmed to three finalists who will be invited to the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show on Dec. 6, where the winner will be announced. The official presentation of the Jim Thorpe Award will be at a formal banquet in Oklahoma City on Feb. 12, 2008.

The 2007 award marks the 21st anniversary of the trophy, first presented in 1986 to Baylor’s Thomas Everett. Last year’s winner was University of Texas standout Aaron Ross, now playing for the New York Giants.

Thorpe Award winners are selected for performance on the field, athletic ability and character.

The 2007 semi-finalists are:

Julius Stinson, Sr., Wyoming
Trey Brown, Sr., UCLA
Antoine Cason, Sr., Arizona
Vontae Davis, Soph., Illinois
Malcolm Jenkins, Jr., Ohio State
Mike Jenkins, Jr., South Florida
Kenny Phillips, Jr., Miami
James Silva, Sr., Boston College
Reggie Smith, Jr., Oklahoma
Craig Steltz, Sr., LSU
Aqib Talib, Sr., Kansas
Tom Zbikowski, Sr., Notre Dame


The Thorpe Award preseason Watch List was determined on a point system based on preseason All-America teams. Other players were added to the list based on their performance during the season.

Of this year’s semi-finalists, Brown, Davis, Jenkins, Silva, Steltz and Stinson were not on the preseason list.


Most of the information reported in this story was obtained from the University of Wyoming Sports Information Department.